Mecca Beauty Election Beauty Loop Sample Box

I've finally started to take advantage of the generous Mecca Beauty Loop rewards program, which is free to join and gives you access to some lovely samples once you hit the first tier (for which you must have spent $300-$599 in store within the year) After receiving my first sample box and posting about it here, I was surprised to receive another email offering a special edition 'beauty election' sample box - I did vote in the beauty election, and must say it was a lot more fun than the Australian political election! I made it a mission one Sunday with Mister to detour to the shopping centre nearest me that has a Mecca Maxima store and nab myself one of the boxes - and it was definitely worth the detour! Each store had a different range of products in the sample box as chosen by the staff members, and my store nailed it!

Seriously, a mini Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick!? I felt so lucky when I opened my box to see such a neat miniature of it, I've never tried a lip product from Too Faced before despite owning many of their palettes, and the shade received was Chihuahua, a very 'me' colour and one that I am excited to try! The other products in the box were from really interesting brands too...

Yet again my sample box contained a product from Josie Maran, which I'm very pleased about as I'm enjoying trying out such a popular brand. This Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter sounds perfect for this cold snap we are having here in Melbourne, I am looking forward to trying out the whipped consistency on my face!

I've tried some lip products from Korres but that is as far as I've gone with the brand, but I'm quite obsessed with rose products at the moment so this couldn't have arrived at a better time. The Wild Rose Brightening & Line Smoothing Serum will be a nice bedtime treat, and I'm intrigued as to how a serum in sachet is going to work for me.

It seems like Mecca have a few very generous brands who aren't afraid of dishing out samples, claps for that! I once again received a Kate Somerville product from Mecca, after falling in love with the ExfoliKate cleanser in my previous sample box I am very interested to see how this EradiKate To-Go Pre-Treated Swab will go - will it be similar to my Mario Badescu Drying Lotion that I dab on with a cotton bud?! 

Still swooning over this, even if I don't end up loving the formula how wonderful is it to be able to try such an adorable and popular product from Too Faced without dishing out a single dollar?

 

Are you a member of the Mecca Beauty Loop? If not, you should be!
-Emma x

 

Too Faced Haul from Mecca Maxima

I've had a longstanding love affair with Too Faced that has been well documented on the blog, seen in this Boudoir look, St. Tropez look, Summer look and timely Gilded Ganache Chocolate look. The palettes just seem to be getting better and better, and indeed the entire product line is becoming more enticing and highly regarded among beauty bloggers and lovers alike. I was mightily tempted by some of the newly released products and after some generous sample testing (foundation) multiple swatch sessions (palette) and a well-timed Instagram post from a friend (Vita, for the blush wardrobe!) I bit the bullet and in two separate hauls, purchased these beauties.

As soon as I laid eyes on the Too Faced Love Flush Long Lasting 16-Hour Blush Wardrobe I knew that I was going to buy it, and thanked fate that I had missed the festive gift pack in December that contained mini's of the Too Faced blushes. I definitely reach for palettes more than I would petite blush pans, and despite owning a full size of one blush shade within the palette (Baby Love) I knew that the $53 price tag was brilliant for the value within the 'wardrobe'. Having featured in my current favourites I can definitely vouch for this blush palette, and have used all of the colours many times over and adore the formula.

The purchase of a mid-high end foundation is definitely a rarity at Camp Bovary - I trial some but ultimately rely on the drugstore for my base products and prefer to save my cosmetic money for palettes and blushes (real talk, I'm a blushfiend, ok?) I had tried two sample pots of the Too Faced Born This Way Oil-Free Undetectable Medium-Full Coverage Foundation and loved how it made my skin look, so I bit the bullet and added it to my online order when I was buying the blush wardrobe. I love how fast Mecca shipping is and the fact that you get to select which samples you'd like (how very US Sephora of them, love it!) I chose samples from Smashbox, Josie Maran and Malin & Goetz this time around. I adore how damn chic the foundation bottle looks - when you're paying that money, you can expect nice packaging, right? As an aside, I could have sworn I paid $58 AUD for this bottle but online it currently sits at $62...I've heard whispers of prices changing around regularly at Mecca, have you experienced this fluctuation?

Onto the most recent TF release in my haul (because I am holding back on the Peanut Butter & Jelly palette...for now...) the glorious Chocolate Bon Bons Palette! I swatched this and really liked the look of it at Mecca, but I was with my non-makeup loving sister who helped convince me that I didn't need it (don't you hate those kind of shopping pals?!) and I figured that I had enough palettes for now and that the colours were just okay. It seemed to stick in my mind for a few weeks though, and then I watched this Earl Grey tutorial and Café au lait tutorial from Mary at aLoveTart and I just couldn't stop myself any longer. The next time I was in Mecca I swatched the palette again and sighed - meant to be, for sure, how in the world did my sister sway me from this beauty?! It also took me into the first real tier of the Mecca Beauty Loop which was a nice bonus, I haven't really shopped for makeup in quite some time so it was nice to 'join the club' so to speak. I have a full review post and some makeup looks coming up with the palette, but suffice to say it's love.

 

You can purchase the Love Flush Blush Wardrobe ($53) here, Born This Way foundation ($62) here and Chocolate Bon Bons Palette ($78) here.

What is your favourite Too Faced product?
Do you have a weakness for a certain makeup brand?

-Emma

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft + Sexy Eye Shadow Collection

I’d often overlooked Too Faced during my jaunts to Kit Cosmetics and Mecca Maxima, but something about the Boudoir Eyes palette transfixed me, and begun an obsession that I fear is snowballing at an alarming rate...

Encased in a slim and functional pink + gold metal tin, the Boudoir palette is feminine and pretty much like the rest of the Too Faced line. I tend to prefer these new slim palettes that they have updated to, as the previous cardboard style was a bit too bulky and not as cute in my opinion.  In this palette you get some really pretty neutral shades, most being shimmer/glitter with one matte shade (In The Buff) which is lovely to blend out and highlight the brow with.

Lap Dance is a shade I find supremely flattering on the lid as a stand-alone colour, which can be said for many pretty taupe shades out there. I also adore Voulez-Vous as a deep purple which isn’t the ‘bright purple’ you tend to see around, but a smoky and deep aubergine which can be blended out for everyday wear. My favourite from the palette is probably Garter Belt, which is the grey I’ve been hunting for since I began collecting makeup. The hint of brown in it is a bit of somethin’ somethin’ that makes my heart go BOOM!

Swatched from top to bottom, left to right.

I’ll be honest and say the shade names aren’t my cup of tea; I am not a fan of the way that brands like Nars and Too Faced try to make cosmetics sexy. It is quite awkward when someone asks you what eyeshadow you have on, and you have to say ‘Fuzzy Handcuffs’ or ‘Lap Dance’… I do adore the brand aesthetic though, which is why it has fast become my second favourite Kit Cosmetics brand (first is Mario Badescu, my skin saviour) I immediately make my way to the Too Faced counter anytime I step near a Myer, so they are definitely doing something right! I have some more Too Faced posts coming up soon (a clue is hidden in my last Shopping Edit post!) so keep your eyes peeled for that if you like.

 

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes palette retails for $53.95 AUD from Mecca Maxima and KitCosmetics.

 

What brand do you go BANANAS for?

Do you dig sexified cosmetics, or do they make cringe too?!

 

The Shop Shade // Free Lip Glaze!

Like Doritos and salsa, two greats coming together is a wonderful thing. A long-time lover of Shop Til You Drop magazine and Kit Cosmetics, their now annual collaboration is once again upon us and it is a beauty!

For a number of years now, my brother and sister in law's Christmas gift to me has been a yearly subscription to Shop Til You Drop, which is by far my favourite and most read publication. I love the articles, images and shopping anecdotes which litter the pages, and the thick nature means I feel like it is worth the money. Now that I've gotten a free lipstick with this issue, it is even more worthwhile!

Simply called 'The Shop Shade', this bright pop of raspberry is free with this months magazine (November issue, with Gwyneth on the cover) Details are on page 164, but you basically hand in that page to Kit Cosmetics or Mecca Maxima stores to receive your FREE lip glaze! In previous years they have created nail shades in popular colours, but I must say I am more interested in a free lip glaze.

'The Shop Shade' is a pigmented opaque raspberry with a little bit of stick to it, which helps it last longer on the lips. I am fond of the Kit Cosmetics lip range in general, and this shade is a nice bright shade for spring and summer.

If you are interested in this shade, be sure to race out and grab your November Shop Til You Drop magazine so you can obtain your lip glaze before they run out. For more info, head to the Shop page here.

 

*As stated above, I received this gloss free because I have the November issue of Shop. Hon

Korres Jasmine Lip Butter-Review and Swatches

You know those products that you hear so much about but end up a disappointment after the hype dies down? Not so with this baby! I have fallen madly in love with the Korres lip butter, and I let out a sigh every time it's smushy goodness hits my lips. Establised in Greece in 1996, the Korres brand is available through kit cosmetics and mecca cosmetica/maxima in Australia.

 The sturdy plastic pot of this lip butter has survived a drop on my bathroom floor, and because I have only used clean fingers when applying I have no fear of any pot-gloss related nasties forming. The lid for this shade is a pale dusty pink colour that I think is very attractive, and is a twist open style. It is lightweight because it is plastic, but I still find it a hardy enough design that is perfect for the thick formulation contained within.

The top has the brand name and shade in both Greek and English. This lip butter is marketed on the Korres website as:

As you can see in the above image, these lip butters are not clear but have a hint of tint to them. I found it so hard to get a good lip shot of this, so I am sad to say that I do not have one to share with you. I can tell you that Jasmine applies as a pale milky pink tint, a finish which I am generally not a fan of. To counter the milky nature of the shade, I run my finger over my lips once more after applying to really push the product in, and then I am left with a pleasant shade which looks like MLBB (my lips but better) You can see above how thick this baby is, and it really does melt into the lips with no effort whatsoever. With most lip products I own require warming up at time (cold mornings etc) but this never needs it.

What a beauty! Needless to say, the dip in the pot grows more and more every single day. I use it at the beginning of my morning routine to give it a chance to sink in, and I love that it's a little dose of aromatherapy every single time. I use it before bed also, and always wake up with soft and nourished lips in the morning. The Korres lip butter is petrolatum free and you can really feel the softness of the shea butter when using it.

A swatch of the Jasmine shade- please note, you shouldn't misjudge the softness of this and stick your clumsy fingers deep into it like I did. For $18.95 you get a little pot full of luxury for your lips, and I will be running back to Korres for another Jasmine or two when this runs out.

Have you tried the beautiful Korres lip butters?

What are your holy grail lip products?

emmabovary xx

My Mecca Wishlist

I've been curbing quite a bit of my spending lately, and so 'wishlist' and 'lust-haves' are the terms of the month(as opposed to 'haul') I only discovered Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Maxima last year, but the love has most certainly blossomed between us. I think that it's not so much the stellar brands and knowledgable staff that do it, but more that the whole concept makes my obsession with beauty loot seem completely natural! I spent a break at uni perusing the Mecca Cosmetica website, and thought I'd share my cravings with you. Enjoy!Blush is my new fave thing, and this one from Stila is irresistible. Candy conversation hearts, in blush form? Be still my beating heart and flushed cheeks! Available March 7. Ltd Ed.

This NARS Tainted Love set is so pretty, it's quite obvious that pink is my thing right now and so I'd love to overload on it with these prodz. Set contains Angelika gloss, Angelika multiple, and Schiap polish. $135. Ltd Ed.

I had a makeover at Mecca Maxima and these peel pads were used on me...my skin has never felt that soft! I was hesitant at first ('peel pad...?') but these weren't harsh or drying on my skin. I received a sample that I am yet to use, but if all goes well I think I will purchase these. $135 for a 30 day supply in travel sachets. Sherbet inspired fragrance? Comme des Garcons you have me enthralled! It's probably for the best that the one I want most (Rhubarb) is unavailable. Want to sniff these and see if the idea works. $69 for 30mls. Rhubarb, Peppermint, or Cinnamon. Having a love affair with Clinique at the moment and it feels so good. This set is adorable! It's the Ltd Ed Pretty Day Into Night Looks set, and will set you back $80.

That concludes my Mecca wish-list (for now)

Lemming anything from Mecca?

emmabovary xx